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Blazestar's Fire
Who put a fish-bone in your throat?” she hissed back. “ Who put a fish-bone in yours? Stop overreacting to what I say.” Blazepaw shot back. Owlpaw narrowed her eyes, but before she could reply Songfall stuck her head in. “ Are you going to stand here all day bickering? Its time for the dawn patrol, and we’re not waiting for you until sun-down to do it.” she chided and darted away. Slightly embarrassed, Blazepaw followed her out of the den. Flintscale, Songfall, Gingerfur, Bubbledrift, Smallpaw and Toadpaw were already there, tail-tips twitching impatiently. When Blazepaw and Owlpaw joined them, they rose and swiftly padded out of the camp entrance. The sky was a pale-pink, the sun’s first rays beginning to touch it. The trees still cast feeble shadows, and the river was a dark grey. All was silent. Blazepaw arched her back and relished it. Suddenly, a meow broke her thoughts. “ I’m so nervous!” Smallpaw exclaimed. Blazepaw tipped her head to one side. “ Why?” she asked. He kinked his tail high in excitement. “ After this, I have my assessment along with Toadpaw!” in the dim light, his eyes were bright. Blazepaw purred quietly. “ That’s great!” Smallpaw was Owlpaw’s brother. He bounded away to speak with Gingerfur, probably about his assessment. Blazepaw halted. They were near the gorge- she could here the crash of the waterfall. Bubbledrift stopped Toadpaw as he tried to continue. “ Owlpaw, Blazepaw, Toadpaw and Smallpaw; you stay here. You can’t go near the gorge, it’s to dangerous.” she warned. Only mouse-brains would fall in. Blazepaw thought, but kept back with the others. “ But me and Toadpaw are going to be warriors today! Can’t we go?” Smallpaw whined. At Gingerfur’s glare, he subsided. Blazepaw watched their mentors pad away, claws clicking on stone. Meanwhile, Toadpaw shredded a leaf. “ I’m a warrior!” he grumbled. Owlpaw purred and licked his cheek. “ You’ve always been one to me.” she murmured. Toadpaw stared at her in astonishment. “I-I have?” he stuttered. Owlpaw brushed his flank with her tail. “ Yes.” she purred. Blazepaw gaped at her in astonishment. Owlpaw drew closer so she could wrap her tabby tail around Toadpaw’s grey one. Blazepaw felt sick. She quietly padded away through the bushes, until she found a small pool to lap at. The leaves rustled from behind her and Smallpaw’s dark pelt appeared. “ You’ve always been a warrior to me.” he mocked. Blazepaw, who was feeling angry with Owlpaw at the moment, purred. She widened her eyes and tried to make them look love-struck. “ Oh, Toadpaw. I love the way your whiskers droop and the way your nose twitches,” she cooed. Smallpaw stared at her in astonishment before dropping to the ground and rolling around purring. Blazepaw twitched her whiskers. “ That’s funny! I never thought Owlpaw would be the type to moon over a tom.” he chortled. Blazepaw nodded. “ Same! Come on, lets get back before we miss the patrol.” Blazepaw paused to lap at some more water, and pushed back through the bush. Owlpaw and Toadpaw were still mooning over each other, and Blazepaw could see the pelts of the warriors flashing through the undergrowth. “ Come on.” Bubbledrift said. “ we need to mark the ThunderClan border.” she bounded away. The sun was halfway up now, Blazepaw could hear a birds tentative song ringing from the trees. She bent down to lick some fading dew from the grass and scampered after the warriors. They were trotting quickly ahead, skirting stray clumps of dead weeds. The beginning of a small hill sloped upwards at Blazepaw’s feet, she pushed harder with her hind-paws to climb it. Panting, she reached the top and bumped into a set of hindquarters. Through the pain in her muzzle, she heard Gingerfur’s astonished gasp. “ Look!” Blazepaw stood beside them and squinted her eyes. Near the ThunderClan border in a clump of reeds, were orange sparks shooting from the ground. The sight of them sent a tremor through her. She knew what it was. Yet she didn’t have a name for it. “ Fire.” Flintscale and Songfall ran up beside them. Their pelts bristled and their eyes were wide. What is there to be afraid about? Blazepaw was confused. “ Oh no.” whispered Smallpaw. “ not again!” Flintscale was peering closer at it. “ Not a very big one. It’ll blaze for another day or two, then burn itself out. All the same, I’m going to to tell Willowstar after this. Come on.” he darted away. The rest of the patrol followed him. Blazepaw stayed rooted to the spot. Fire. the word made her legs tremble. Fire. She lifted her muzzle. Something was tugging at her paws. Fire. her head was racing. Fire. The tug on her paws strengthened. In a daze, she began to walk towards it. Fire! Fire! her paws accelerated. Fire! Fire! Blazepaw gasped. She ran faster than she ever had before, paws skimming the ground. I’m coming! I’m coming! called her heart. She was so confused, yet bafflingly joyous. When she reached the reed bed, she was panting for air. Suddenly, the fire roared. Blazepaw swung around. She gasped at the glowing wall that loomed above her. She dug her claws into the ground. A breeze suddenly bore down upon her, ruffling her fur and closing her eyes. In her mind, a voice spoke, a voice so powerful and wise it made her shake. Welcome, Firecat. Welcome. The wind swirled faster now, and the fire burned brighter. Blazepaw’s hear thumped. Firecat? she wanted to open her eyes, yet she didn’t, for she knew that if she did they would be scorched by the brightness. She flattened her ears. Every hair on her pelt began to tremble. What is happening? her throat was tight in terror. The voice spoke again, each word with more might than the one before. Do not be afraid Firecat. Never be afraid. Then the breeze stilled and the fire withdrew. Blazepaw stood still. The strength of the fire left her shocked, and dazed from what she had seen and heard. What does it mean? What is happening? her breathing became fast. “ Blazepaw? Blazepaw!” shrieked a voice. Blazepaw slowly turned around. Flintscale was running towards her, Songfall and Bubbledrift in his wake. “ Blazepaw, what are you doing?” yowled Songfall. “ Wh-what am I d-d-doing?” Blazepaw stammered. “ The fire, Blazepaw! The fire! You could have died!” Flintscale screeched in rage. “ what kind of fish-brain are you?” Blazepaw was indignant. “ I am not a fish-brain! I was perfectly fine.” Blazepaw snapped. Flintscale glowered at her. “ Have you forgotten that fire killed your father?” how could I? she thought bitterly. Every time she saw Redriver, she was reminded. Like Redriver would let me forget that it was ‘all my fault’ my father died. When Blazepaw didn’t answer, Flintscale sniffed. “ I thought so. For your fish-brained thinking, you are grounded in camp for the rest of the day.” he snarled. What?! Blazepaw drew in her breath. She stalked away without a word. But that night, her dreams were full of searing orange-red flames that licked at the night sky. Do not be afraid Firecat. Never be afraid. �Chapter 5 ... five... six... seven...eight... Blazepaw’s head broke through the surface of the water and she groped for air. The green-leaf sun beat harshly down on her face. She was in the reed bed, practicing her breathing underwater. I’m getting better. I used to only be able to do five heartbeats! satisfaction surged under her pelt. She looked around at the sky-blue surface of the pool. Tiny silver flickers darted around in it, and Blazepaw licked her lips. Let’s see how my hunting skills are. Taking a deep breath, she slowly sank underwater. The calm surface closed in above her ears and Blazepaw slowly opened her eyes. The skinny minnows scurried around the stems; Blazepaw could only see them through the shafts of sunlight that broke through the water and dappled the bed. She lay absolutely still, waiting for the careless daring minnow... at last! A small shape swam innocently in her direction, probably not noticing as her ginger pelt blended in perfectly with the brown water. A tightness knotted up her throat. I need air! But I’m so close... the minnow was even nearer. Still, Blazepaw waited. Then, in one fluid movement, stretched out her paws and surged upwards. As she erupted out of the water, she flung her paws behind her. The tiny fish hit the ground and spasmed violently before Blazepaw killed it with a quick bite to its spine. Thank you, StarClan. She nudged the fresh-kill further up the shore and began to haul herself out. “ Nice catch,” purred a voice. Owlpaw pushed her way through the reeds and trotted up beside her. “ Thanks! I was just giving it to the elders,” Blazepaw explained. She flicked her tail. “ You can have it, if you want.” Owlpaw shook her head. “ No thanks. And why are you so wet? Did you have to jump in after it?” she teased “ Its a new technique I developed. Do you like it?” “ It’s great! Are you sure you thought of it?” Owlpaw purred. Blazepaw growled playfully and shoved her with her shoulder. With a shriek, Owlpaw staggered into the reed-bed. Blazepaw purred. Owlpaw glared at her, face-fur drooping in wetness. “ It’s not funny!” she hissed, but then began to purr. Blazepaw dove into the water beside her. The hot sun reminded her of the fire she had seen, and a fierce longing pierced her heart. I want to see if it’s still there. And maybe I can show Owlpaw what-what happens and how it speaks to me. “ Come on,” Blazepaw meowed and hauled herself out, picking up the minnow in her jaws. “ I need to show you something.” “ Sure.” Owlpaw bounded after her friend. When they reached camp, a pale-grey shape bounded over to them. “ Hey Owlpaw! Want to come hunting with me today?” the tom meowed. Blazepaw stifled a purr. It was the newly named Toadleap. Owlpaw shook her head. “ Sorry, Toadleap. Blazepaw needs to show me something, I’ll come with you when I come back okay?” she meowed. Toadleap sighed in disappointment. “ Fine. I’ll wait!” he licked her cheek darted away. Blazepaw dropped her minnow in the pile and nudged Owlpaw playfully with her nose. “ So sweet! Are you mates?” Blazepaw ducked away from Owlpaw’s claws. “ You’re horrible!” “ I know. But seriously, are you?” Blazepaw taunted. “ No! But Toadleap is a great cat, and I hope we can be mates later.” Owlpaw meowed. Blazepaw gave her a friendly cuff to the ear and darted out of the entrance. She padded along the well-worn dirt track that wound upwards toward the gorge. “ What is it that you have to show me?” Owlpaw asked as they neared the reeds. Blazepaw stopped. “ Something important. Hey look, I see a water vole!” Blazepaw lied. Owlpaw’s head whipped around. “ Where?” “ It went under those bushes.” Blazepaw flicked her tail at a thick clump of old holly. In a flash, Owlpaw darted under it. Blazepaw raced away. Is it still there? heart pounding, she reached the place where she had seen it yesterday. There were no crackling fiery sparks to be seen anywhere. Disappointed, Blazepaw slowly turned and padded away. Welcome, Firecat. Blazepaw spun around. Small peaks of flame were licking at the long wavy reeds. Blazepaw paused and inhaled and bittersweet scent. “ I see you have come back.” a deep, amused rumble came from behind her. Blazepaw whirled around and hissed, fear pulsing through her blood. Have I been found out? Blazepaw bristled. A grey-and-white tom with black patches sitting across from her, his tail curled around his paws. Do I know him? she sniffed. His scent was familiar; Blazepaw knew she had seen him before. Shock jolted through her like lightning. “ You! I know you! You brought me back... When I died.” Blazepaw gasped. The cat dipped his head. “ Yes, I did. Do you know my name?” the amusement hadn’t faded from his eyes. Blazepaw frowned. I feel like I should. But I can’t. “ No.” she said quietly. Her heart thumped. Something was going to happen. “ My name is Blackflame.” his voice dropped to a whisper as he stared at her. Blazepaw blinked. She stood up shakily and backed away. “ B-Blackflame? My father?” she chocked. A lump almost as big as a fish-bone was stuck in her throat. My father. The one who I supposedly killed. Blackflame stretched out his muzzle as if to lick her, then snatched it back. “ You’ve heard many things about me, have you not? Some are true; others are false.” “ You mean like how Redriver told me I killed you?” Blazepaw growled. Blackflame’s eyes darkened with pain. “ Surely you don’t believe that?” his voice seemed to tremble. “ I don’t know! I don’t know what to believe anymore.” Blazepaw shot back. Her mind was whirling so fast, her voice sounded like it was underwater. She took a step back and eyed Blackflame warily. After all these moons, his spirit has finally revealed itself to me. Yet she could not be happy. Too much resentment had been associated with Blackflame’s name. “ You can believe me.” He murmured. “I’m so proud of you, my daughter.” Then, something broke loose inside of Blazepaw. “ Proud of me? If you were that proud, why do you reveal yourself now? Why not come and help me as a kit when I was hurting from Redriver’s rejection?” Blazepaw snarled. She crouched down as if to attack Blackflame. His eyes burned with even more intensity. “ I couldn’t, Blazepaw,” he meowed sorrowfully “ you weren’t ready.” “ Wasn’t ready?” “ Your mind couldn’t handle seeing me. If I had come to you, you would have died!” Blackflame hissed. He flames behind hip shot up a tail-length. Blazepaw watched them, her anger slowly quelling. “ If so, why are you here now?” “ I am a regular StarClan spirit, but I wander. I come to the fire, with the other cats that are like me,” Blackflame gestured with his tail. Blazepaw gasped, Spirits leapt out of the fire and circled her. Their eyes were bright and animated, with fur that crackled and hissed along with the fire. The spirits paws spurted tiny flames when they hit the ground. Blazepaw growled at them, tail lashing. “ Do not be afraid.” One of them stepped forwards. It was a she-cat, with brown mottled fur. Her sparkling blue eyes seemed to pierce right into Blazepaw’s soul. “ W-Who are you?” Blazepaw stammered. The she-cat purred.